Lately i've been considering the pros and cons of college, specifically taking some combination of computer science and music. I'm currently 29, living with my girlfriend (and dog) and working as a lab technician for a tech company doing research and development. My job is okay but it isn't my passion and it doesn't pay a whole lot. My girlfriend is currently working on finishing up her PHD, after which we will probably be moving out of the small college town that we currently live in.

My real passion is writing music, and I specifically love writing the kind of psuedo orchestral music that goes great in video games. I have a 4 year degree from a state university in digital communications, but its basically useless without more schooling.

So, I am considering going back to school to work on computer science, which I see as potentially interesting and a great career in terms of job prospects, and music, which I see as a horrible chance to make any money but I love it.

I was curious to get some other opinions on this and share experiences.

(08-15-2017, 05:13 AM)Axfinger Wrote: So, I am considering going back to school to work on computer science, which I see as potentially interesting and a great career in terms of job prospects, and music, which I see as a horrible chance to make any money but I love it.

I think you already have your answer. Go with the computer career. Use that to fund your music hobby. It likely won't work so well the other way around.

I'm a computer systems engineer and music is my hobby. Music has been my hobby since I was about 10. I have no regrets that I went to school for engineering instead of music. I'm certain I'd regret it if I did the opposite.

I went back and forth on majoring in music or engineering and chose engineering as a career but kept playing piano all that I could.

I saw engineering with good job security prospects, but found that to make money in a music career to be a life of travel and performance or teaching. I didn't want to be a school teacher, or live life on the road gigging, and I wanted to eventually have a house, family, dogs etc. so I went a similar route as Paul and chose engineering. That was just my thought process. (oh so many years ago!)

I don't regret it but of coarse I always wish for more time for music making!

The problem here is that you can't start from nowhere and expect to make a living from it. That is basically impossible, no matter how skilled you may be, no matter how many fancy music diplomas you may have. Musicians are a dime a dozen and since so many of them are willing to work for free (or for so little that it amounts to the same thing) employers have simply become unwilling to pay for the creation of music. Why pay when you can easily find someone who'll do the same thing at no cost?

What I would suggest doing is getting a regular job for paying the bills and putting food on the table while doing music on the side. And by "on the side" I don't mean a couple of hours once or twice a month. Devote all free time you possibly can to composing, get in touch with game developers, look for work that doesn't require full time commitment and tight deadlines. And then slowly start making a name for yourself from there. Just like any other job you need a résumé before anyone potential employer will even consider you. Everyone and his uncle has a portfolio and that alone WILL NOT land you a job.

Just so you know: this process will likely take years. But at some point you will hopefully have enough music work that you can start working half time at your regular job (if your employer even allows this... that is something to be wary of as well). And so on. Maybe you will be able to do music full-time, maybe you won't... but I say give it a shot. Be prepared to be constantly poor though, there is no music career that pays nearly as well as a tech job

For me personally that is a sacrifice I am happy to make. I can't stand regular jobs; being forced to spend nearly all my time away from home surrounded by people I don't even like, the commuting, the stress and the sheer madness of it all. I've done it, it nearly drove me into an early grave and if I can help it I am not going back to that kind of life. Even if it means I have to forgo all of the luxuries that more well-paid people take for granted.

I guess I find myself conflicted because I agree with most of you that tech is a much safer and more comfortable job than anything in the music world. That said I know myself and I would need to get a fairly specific job to really be happy and excited doing what I do. I can relate to all the stresses Mattias outlined about "normal" jobs, but I think I can be a little more complacent about it than it sounds like he can. I guess the kicker is that I live with my girlfriend who I will probably be with for a long time and its not just about me. If I do the whole family thing then I feel like I need a better job to support my hobby rather than sacrifice to make it my only means of money. Thanks everyone for the input.

I've always remembered something a music teacher (who was trying to establish a career as on opera singer) said to me years ago: "Music makes a much better hobby than a career." It's just a really hard career in so many ways. It's hard to get into, you don't make that much money even after you do, it's unpredictable, it can require long and irregular hours, and you're constantly searching for the next job. And you may find that when it becomes a job, it becomes a lot harder to find joy in it.

Of course, I'm not really in a position to talk. I'm a software engineer, which I went into not for the money, but because I fell in love with programming in elementary school and have wanted to do it ever since. I just got really lucky that the thing I love doing is also a good career. And given that, music makes a great hobby to have on the side.

I should also ask: why computers as the alternate path? Is it because you're also interested in CS and enjoy programming, or is it purely because it has good job prospects? If you can't follow your first love, you should at least follow a path you like. Otherwise you're setting yourself up for a lifetime of jobs that don't make you happy and that you aren't very good at. (I've observed many times throughout my career that good programmers are almost always people who enjoy programming. Like so many other skills. People who are just in it for the money rarely become very competent.)

Don't forget you can always find a job that marries the two fields- such as developing plugins or sample libraries like many of the members of the forum. There is always a huge demand for programmers, particularly those willing to learn Kontakt scripting!